Blossoms of the Dark

CXLVII Shouto: Perseverant

July and August flew by in a breeze.

It's September now.

These two months have consisted of honing our quirks and developing 'special moves' in time for the Provisional Hero License Exam. These licenses enable us to intervene in crises. Basically, give us a legal right to do what my friends and I recklessly did when we rescued Bakugou and Selene. But the exam is harder than it sounds. Judges critique every participant's aptitudes - namely information acquisition, efficient communication, quick judgment, good leadership, and mobility - and decide who passes the exam. After enrolling in U.A.'s hero department and the Sports Festival, this is the third major step in my career as a Pro-Hero. And I made a promise to a certain girl to make myself better for her.

_________________________________________________________

For those two months, I worked endlessly. My special move consisted of implementing my fire and ice simultaneously. I even contacted the support department to commission new equipment suited for my abilities: burgundy metal gauntlets to regulate my body temperature and straps to easily wear and remove my boots. My classmates did the same, except Selene. Despite her forgiving me so easily, somewhere I still held myself responsible for what happened. The teachers tasked her to observe us and take notes for their assessments. In the process, her relationship with Aizawa-sensei definitely improved. She assisted in directing us to the support department, organized snacks and breaks, and relayed details about the exam and the other schools that would be participating. While the rest of us were working our butts off, Selene managed the important brainy stuff. She deserved more credit than we were giving her.

And so, during one break, I approached her. With one hand, she was tallying something on the segments of her fingers before jotting the number down on her clipboard. With the other, she took an intermittent sip of milk from her thermos. I stood next to her and peered over her shoulder. "What's that for?" I asked.

She jolted, completely shocked, almost tipping over the thermos, before answering, "Data about the class. Number of support items commissioned, how many more must arrive, statistical analysis of the class's progress. Just analytics."

"Sounds fun," I joked.

"You seem to have had plenty of fun yourself," she retorted. Putting aside the thermos and clipboard, she scanned me up and down. "Twin gauntlets and shoe straps. Bathing in sweat and almost collapsing from exertion. Bless your soul because if you look that exhausted from your regimen, then I would be a corpse."

I laughed. Hard. "I could say the same about you. Even though you're in your school uniform, you're racking your brain day and night with logistics and getting everyone's needs met. That has to be mentally exhausting."

She smirked in amusement. "It is fine. What my body lacks in physical strength, my mind makes up for it in aptitude. And I get to drink all the milk I want on the job."

"No, I'm serious. You deserve more appreciation for all the effort you're putting, Selene."

She glanced at me with a curious stare. She wrung her hands and whispered, "I have no intention of offending you, but you have been calling me simply by my first name since the dormitories were constructed. It is not that I mind, but I do not know what brought on this change."

"None taken," I whispered back. I leaned against the wall and gazed out the window in front of me. That well of shame began to bubble. "With everything that happened, I was scarred. You came to mean a lot to me as my best friend, and I couldn't bear losing you. I'm guessing that sense of possession subconsciously urged to me to drop the chan when addressing you." My words were a half-truth. Yes, I was scarred. Yes, she came to mean a lot to me. No, it was the realization of the love I felt for you that compelled me to drop the honorific. I looked at her now. She nodded with understanding, but the tension from her hands did not ease. "I'm not asking you to do the same for me. If you ever you feel comfortable enough to call me without using honorifics, you can do so. I won't pressure you or wait for you. That choice is yours, and I'll respect whatever you choose."